Benjamim

"Benjamim" is director Monique Gardenberg's second feature, following her interesting though not quite fully accomplished "Jenipapo" (1995). Based on a novel by the immensely talented Brazilian songwriter Chico Buarque (who is also a playwright/singer/writer), it tells the story of a man in his sixties, Benjamim (played by veteran actor Paulo José), who meets by chance young Ariela Masé (newcomer Cleo Pires). He is taken aback by her striking resemblance to his long-ago lover Castana Beatriz (also Pires) and flashbacks slowly unfold the truth of what happened in the past, with political innuendos.

"Benjamin" has professional qualities, an experienced crew working behind the camera, and a warm performance by one of Brazil's all-time great film actors (Paulo José). But there are major problems: a) we outguess the plot far in advance; b) there are totally expendable sequences, some of them because they're useless to plot development (e.g. Zeca Pagodinho's musical numbers, thrown in for commercial reasons) and some because they're really bad (the rape scene in the empty apartment, for example) c) although most sequences in "the present time" are OK in mood, the flashbacks simply don't work - they look terribly phony and poised; d) the casting criteria - although Benjamim is played by young Danton Mello in the flashbacks and by 68-year-old Paulo José in the present time, Rodolfo Bottino plays his character in BOTH past and present -- that's a stretch!!; e) Cleo Pires (daughter of TV and film star Glória Pires) fails completely in what was meant to be a star-making performance -- sorry, but she hasn't got (at least not yet) the talent, voice or screen presence to draw our attention to Ariela OR Castana, she is painfully inexperienced and is probably the main responsible for our detachment from the story and ultimately from the film.

In the end, I felt kind of sad, because it's a film I'd have liked to enjoy, if only for the talents involved - but it just doesn't deliver. My vote: 4 out of 10.

I don't agree completely with debblyst. The film is exceptionally well played by all actors, especially Cleo Pires. I say this maybe because I am perceiving the whole film as having a fellinian atmosphere. I admit, I'm a big fan of Federico Fellini and Italian cinema in general. I also know that Brazilian cinema had serious influences from the Italians. Italian actor Adolfo Celi founded modern theater in Brazil in the 50s. And Cleo Pires reminded me through her irresistible smile, especially captured in so many close-ups, the smile that had the greatest actress of all time, the female Chaplin, Fellini's wife, Giulietta Masina. Cleo Pires is performing a dual role in absolute naturalness, she's original, beautiful, glamorous. The photography is great. The editing is very professional. The music is inspired. Castana and Benjamin are going to the cinema to see Claude Lelouch's "Un homme et une femme". Their kiss on the music by Francis Lai is the best scene in the whole movie. Agree with the fact that the film is a little bit predictable. Agree also with the fact that the rape scene is disappointing, could have been more realistic. 8 out of 10.

Instead of focusing on the flaws mentioned by the first reviewer, I'd like to emphasize the fact that this film was very well made. The production is excellent, the photography is beautiful, the acting is good enough (not stellar),and the plot is complex (it is confusing for a reason): Chico Buarque's novel is just as complex, with constant flashbacks which I believe are appropriate to connect past and present. The present is "determined" by the actions of the past.

This sense of the inescapable is central to both Buarque's and this film's meaning(s). One cannot analyze either the film or the novel without some background knowledge of the historical context (Brazil during the 1960s up until the late 1980s). The continuity between the long period of military dictatorship (1964-1985) and the supposed entrance of the country into a "democratic" present, a present which is usually seen as a break with the violent past, are depicted as mirrors of one another through the very structure of the narrative.

Unfortunately, without this historical background, one may find this film a "let down" to quote the first reviewer. This is due to the fact that a casual viewer, seeking merely entertainment, will be in the dark as far as the subtle historical references of the film narrative to both the dictatorship and the post-dictatorship's least visible traits.

The film is structured around the life of the main character, Benjamim Zambraia, an actor and former model struggling to cope with events that happened in his past. The movie is ripe with cyclical themes, often flashing back and forth between past and present, and has a kind of beautifully harsh aesthetic to it. Scenes from the past are juxtaposed against scenes from the present, and it becomes apparent that history appears to be repeating itself in Benjamim's life. None of the characters are particularly sympathetic, which I think adds to the ambiance of the movie. Overall, I found the film to be a well-crafted glimpse into some of the less attractive qualities of the human psyche.